Junior Maura Frauenhofer recorded a personal-best time of 18:22 and took 15th overall to help lead the Canisius College women's cross country team to a ninth-place finish at the National Catholic Championships at South Bend, Ind. on Friday evening. On the men's side freshman Nathan McCabe was once again leader of the pack for the Golden Griffins, as he was first to cross the finish line on the team with a time of 26:29.

Frauenhofer, who placed 10th at the event last year, was able to shave nine seconds off her 2009 time at this year's meet. McCabe continued his strong running from the Duquesne Duals as this was the second consecutive race where he finished first on the team.

Canisius was one of 35 schools to compete in both the men's and women's races this year as the host Notre Dame Fighting Irish took first in both runs. Notre Dame's men's team had 35 team points while the women posted a team score of 41.The Golden Griffins were charged with 223 points in the women's race and 490 in the men's run.

The women's team had a few familiar faces at the top three of their leader board as Frauenhofer, freshman Mikelle Cala and senior Jill Shea were once again the team's best runners. Cala came in second on the team with a time of 18:22 which was good enough for 32nd place, while Shea wasn't far behind at 18:59 placing 36th overall.

For the men's event, it was a similar story with the top three finishers at the Duquesne Duals once again making an appearance for the Blue and Gold. Following McCabe was sophomores Alex Simon and Aaron Hoven. Simon came in 63rd overall with a time of 26:37 while Hoven crossed the finish line at 27:32 which was good enough for 117th overall.

The National Catholic Championship began in 1980. The meet premiered as an event featuring prominent Catholic institutions from throughout the United States, with a women's race being added in 1984.

The Canisius College men's and women's cross country teams will be back in action on Sept. 25 as the teams will host the Little Three Championships at Delaware Park against rivals Niagara and St. Bonaventure. The meet start time is scheduled for 2 p.m.